Foundry molding machine



June 3, 1952 P. KvEDERls 2,599,262

FouNDRY MoLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 30, 1948 11 Sheets-Sheet l June 3, 1952 P, KvEDERls 2,599,262

FOUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE Filed Deo. 30, 1948 1l Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

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June 3, 1952 P. KvEDl-:Rls

FOUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE 11 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Deo. 30, 1948 June 3, 1952 P. KvEDERls 2,599,252

FOUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. so, 194s i; sheets-sbgt 4" June 3, 1952 P. KVEDERIS FOUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE Filed Deo. 30, 1948 11 Sheets-Sheet 5 LSE j@ IN VEN TOR.

June 3, 1952 P. KVI-:Dems

F OUNDRY MOL-DING MACHINE Filed Dec. 30, 1948 l 11 Sheets-Sheet 6 1l Sheet s-Sheet '7 INVENTOR.' YJDaz/ Vea/@fzs June 3, 1952 P. KvEDl-:Rls

FOUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 30, 1948 June 3, 1952 P, KVEDERls 2,599,262

w www, VENToR.

BY Indi/ Kika/175 June 3, 1952 P. KvEDl-:Rls

F'OUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE 11 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Dec. 50, 1948 Ruff Kw2/IHS m June 3, 1952 RKVEDERIS FouNDRY MOLDING MACHINE 11 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Dec.' 30, 1948 June 3, 1952 P. KvEDERls 2,599,262

FOUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE Fi1ed Dec. so, 1948 r11 sheets-sheet 11 "a A 74a i' f5] INVENToR.

Patented June 3, 1952 QF ICE;

DRYe-MOLDING MACIIINEV PlfKve'dris, Chicagoylll;

Appliatnmecember, 1948;.Serial NinVV 68,2119;

13 '.Claims.

Thief-linventionlrelates tto".- theartfloff making? metahcastin'gs unsaridunoldssand:hasrto-.do more:y parti'cularlywith! a newsandeamoldingprocess andalimachineiffor fcarrying. outitheiinewfprocess :inx-az speedy'#andlleicient'manner The primary objiectutmyfinvention: isftoei'iect substantifsavings/. throughf reduced moldingi` costs; -hen elatiyrelyflarge:numbersof:identical castings farestof-befmadee Airother-fobgect'is tciprovid a moldingimacliine f lo" capable foff: eiicintly producing sands molds-` in' latifge-n-urriil'sersatlas'rapi'dirate:` andfespeciallya-v mach efoffthat character :whiclfrlfcan .befbuilt ata.l costwhch rtmders its-izu'se feconoinicallyzadvanf. tageous l Additional objects ofa subbrdinatefcharacter; tegether Witli'ilthe novel .features characterizing myPinve'nton.,j Wllbeipointed outflnconjfunction. with? the lensuing@detailed; descriptions..

Inrfthreidrawingsfwliichiaccompany;this:specie 520. atin:

Figureel is ia'si'deielevationsofy rfaimoldingsmafi Y chineonstfucted in:acccrdancewvitlrthe-subect# inventioni Landirepresentngfzafp'referred. iembodie menttliereof Fig. 3Fisiiafverticalilsectionirtaken at1iner3i-3.' of Fig. 2;

sand iiilingsIand moldi cavities i Figi' 'lis-eaperspective V#view-2' showing@- a -detail offcon'structien i Siisia: sectional view Italien yat 'f linei--f-ii;y

Fig. 9'is'adiagrammaticsshowing.in perspece 4o tive: ofefth'etseveral- 'fluidpressure"cylinderstand their lrespectivelyfassociated idriveir=-rr1'emb'ers,'i td--v gether `WithE the' flidpr-ess'ure control valves fand interconnectingc conduits Fig. 10 is-anenlarged-reproductionflofffa por 45v tion of Fig. 3;

Fig. 1l is;aisectional'planviewl taken at line II--ll of Fig. 10;

Figfij 13 fisfaisectionalplanf-viewflileQFig. 111 lbut. correspondingIterFigal lzasfrespects tl'eipos'itioninge of ivarious '-mechancal elements ,fl-1

ask-pusher. mechanism, yand illustrates certain featuresfwhich otherwise Wouldb`e obscure; and

Figs.1 15-20 inclusive are a series. of vperspective schematicv vievvs illustrating, sequentially,

the steps comprising a. 4single cycle..of operation` nis'm which is notessenti'al'to a ,comprehension of the principles of thefinventiomhasbeen'omit: ted from .tliese'vieisA in furtherance'of ;simpli'' cation.

The general aspects of the subject'molding machine 'can' satisfactdrily "be explained by reference exclusively 'to Figs." 1-f3 and' 6'; but for 'pare ticularity it will 'be `necessary;V subsequently, to

refer to' the other ifi'guresi First, itsh'ould bemade clear" that the"mold cavities into which themoltenlmetalfis to'be poured and Yformed in molding, sand-,'such'as that commonly usedin foundries; andusually the patterns'vvhich form the'mold cavitiesare inadeA each inv two complementary halves; each Acapable of being 'Withdrawn from the compactedA sand Without damagetothe' mold: And so-called flasks aremnecessarily4 employed'to--receive and.y

hold the-'molding sand', asis lilievvisetluecasein vconventional foundry practice:

Ai'typical flaslfrsuitablex for use Withrv the subj ect machineis shown-in lFigf 4''ar-d identified,` as 'a- Whole, bythereference-numeral If- This, asvvill be seen; is a 'rectangularfreceptaclein" thev formiof a box or frame,` With opentop and bottom; and it may-'befdividedibyfpartitions Il into -a'fnumber of compartments: Four vsuclzfcompartmentsv i2 are shcwnfin'rfthisinstancef- Whetheror'fnot the flasks are; ini-lfactpartitioned' tc'r xferm-come partrnentsand,- if 'fso,the number-l of 'compartments, is determined largelylb'y thersizeofftheparts tobe cast! Preferably, thefasksaremade ofmetal-, for 'example aluminium.d Thel compartments il 2 farei rdesignedy tov `loeflled Withm'OIdingsand,v which is ii'rm-l-y compacted therein-.1- Inf Fig; 5 f Ytherefis fshown'l inf transverse section a- `-partial stack comprising three flasks l i) the .1 compart-r ments :l 2 'of-Which ihafve -beenfillled 'wi-thm'olding sand inlvvhich the moldcavities hiavef'been-fo'rmed-f Each of the four complete mold cavities shown' numeral I3; and each said cavity I3 is formed by the juxtaposition of a lower semi-cavity I3a and an upper semi-cavity |322 situated, respectively, below and above a parting surface I4.

It will be apparent to those skilled in foundry practice that the upper flask I of Fig. 5 corresponds to the usual cope, while the bottommost flask of the same figure corresponds to the usual drag; and it will further be apparent that the middle flask functions as both cope and drag. It is a cope with reference to the flask immediately below and a drag with reference to the flask immediately above. For purposes of illustration I have shown in Fig. a partial stack comprising only three flasks, but in practice a complete stack may comprise eight or more flasks; in such a case at least six flasks serve as both cope and drag, while the uppermost flask is effective only as a cope while the lowermost one is effective only as a drag.

When cores are required the patterns are provided with the usual core prints and the cores themselves are put in place manually before the flasks are stacked by the machine. In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a case which requires the inclusion of a core I5 in each mold cavity. The gates may be formed, in part, by suitable projections on the patterns and, in part, manually, by suitable gate-cutting tools.

Insofar as I have been able to ascertain, it has never before been proposed in foundry practice to make up multiple mold units in the form of stacks comprising numerous flasks, wherein the several flasks, exclusive of the top and bottom ones, each serve as both cope and drag; and inasmuch as this apparently novel procedure can be availed of advantageously, even when performed manually, I am claiming the involved process or method irrespective of whether it is carried out by the subject machine or manually, or with the aid of some other machine.

The manual procedure consists in placing a flask on a pattern board having one or more half-patterns thereon in upwardly projecting re-y lief, sprinkling the pattern, when necessary, with facing sand or the like, filling the mold compartments with sufncientmolding sand to fully occupy the flask when the sand is compacted, and then impressing the other half-pattern or patterns into the upper surface, after applying to the upper surface a thin coating of facing sand, if that be considered necessary or desirable. Several thus-completed mold units, each comprising one flask with its sand content and semicavities, are then stacked to any convenient height, it being understood that essential gates are to be provided so that the molten metal can be admitted at the top of the stack.

Each flask I0 is provided with two notches II on each of two opposite sides, along the lower edges thereof. The purpose of these notches is to accommodate certain mechanical lifting fingers forming parts of the molding machine, as will later be fully explained.

Referring primarily to Figs. 1-3 and 6, the subject molding machine includes a structural framework fabricated mainly of angle irons and plates arranged to provide suitable supports for all the various working parts and to maintain the same in their intended spacial relation. And said framework may be bolted to any suitable foundation or left unanchored, as may be preferred.

Supported on the framework 20 are two hoppers or bins 2I and '22 intended to receive and hold supplies of facing sand and molding sand, respectively. Said hoppers should either be large enough to hold sufiicient sand to keep the machine in operation for a considerable period or conveyor means should be provided to replenish the supply, especially of the molding sand. But inasmuch as the volume of facing sand ordinarily required is small compared to the requirement for molding sand, it usually is practicable to rell the hopper 2 I manually.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 6, the two hoppers 2l and 22 are positioned at either side of the supporting framework 2U; and within the space therebetween, but at a somewhat lower level, there is a horizontal main track comprising two laterally spaced parallel rails 24, 24. These rails are afllxed to and carried by the supporting framework, and they serve, in turn, as supports along which the flasks I0 are advanced, in succession, rst to a position B between the two hoppers, where they are filled, one at a time, and where the patterns are pressed into the sand fillings to form the semi-cavities l3a and I3b and, secondly, out of position B into position C and thence onto an auxiliary track at position D, this auxiliary trackV comprising a pair of auxiliary rails 26, 26 located at the discharge end of the main track 24, 24 yand normally aligned therewith. The auxiliary track is designed to receive the flasks, one at a time; and immediately after being deposited thereon, the flasks are transferred downwardly, one at a time, by an elevator which, upon rising, spreads the auxiliary rails 26, '26 apart, thereby causing the flask resting on the auxiliary track to be deposited on the elevator platform designated as 28. l

The unfilled flasks I0, each of which may be identical with that shown in Fig. 4, are stacked on the main track 24, 24 at position A, as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, where the stack, as a whole, is designated by the reference numeral 3U. Each individual flask is taken, in turn, from the bottom of the stack 30 and moved along the main track to the filling station, position B, whereafter it is moved by the flask-pusher mechanism to position C on the main track, from which latter position it is next moved to position D on the auxiliary track 26, 25.

The first step in each cycle of operation consists in transferring a flask from the bottom of the stack 30 at position A, to the filling station at position B, which is to say, between the two hoppers 2| and 22. This is illustrated schematically, but without a showing of mechanical details, in Figs. 15 and 16, in the former of which a flask III is shown in its initial position on the main track. In Fig. 16 the same flask is shown advanced to position B, having been pushed along the main track by fluid-pressure actuated means including a pressure cylinder 33. Parenthetically, it may be noted that Figs. 15-20 are purely schematic and differ somewhat in mechanical detail from the other figures in order to simplify the showing; also, various details have been omitted from these figures for the same reason.

The flask-pusher mechanism The mechanism which operates to push the flasks along the main track preferably is motivated by compressed air or hydraulic pressure and, as is shown in detail in Figs. 10-14, includes that portion of the main track on which the stack 30 rests; and there is shown in Fig. 14 a portion of a rail 24 vwhich is one of the two parallel rails constituting the main track. The stack of shaft 39 journaled in. brackets 40.

flasksv 3l!A has been omitted :fromf-the-sl'fowingioty thisy figure in -^order not jvto obscurem'eclfiariicalf-` partsl-Which -th'e View Yis intended lto'f exhibiti- To vvfacilitatemovi-ng the flasks,l one at :a time;

fromithe bottomof the-stackS; meansarefproG-f 5.3

videdfor liftingthesta'ok; with the exception'fof the bottom fiask, and ffor holding Vit in. kelevatedi position-v throughout each 4forward stroke :ofi-the flask-push'er mechanism.; Said means comprisesV two shaftsf35,I 35flocated'at either sidei-ofithei 10:.

stack and extending 'parallel' tothe mainitrack.; These shafts are equippedeaoh'with two laterally, projecting ,crescentlikeLiingers .36 :the distalendsl` offwhich lareipo'sitioned :to enter theV notches. :I 1

formed infthe lsides of4 the flasks; as most clearly 15f1 shown .in-:Fig: 4; Normally,'the fingers 35 lare@ clearof`theivlasks,'but when the shafts..-,35 are:` rotated, asiindicated bylan arrowin1Fig'.-14; theyf: enterthe .notches l1 of the ask immediately;

above the bottom :.one,. and then, upon further'zo.;

are pivotally connected to a member'43, referred." 30' to herein .as an elevator. Thelatter is'a-rectangular framevcomprising two elongate sidel members 44,44 (see'Figs. 6, 10, 12 and-14) and' two cross members at either end which serve tof tie together the side-members 44. Each of these. 35'

side members is pivotally connected near its two ends, respectively, to identical links45; ,45; which. are,'in turn,` pivotallyconnected to the framefoo the machine.` Byxreason of being mounted fon. thefourlinks 46, theelevator 43 `is adapted-170140 be 'moved bodily falongiparallel arcuate paths-y. each having: ai radius equal to the distancebe-f tween thepivlotal'centers 4of each link. At the". voutset'of each cycle :the --elevator 43fis1iniawdeepressed position fromf-which vit Vmoves* upwardlys 45 and horizontally"alongiits 'arcuate paths: The,` vertical `component 'alone performs a useful purey pose, the horizontaltcomponent Abeing wholly cidental and a result of the most expedient way of propelling the elevator.

superimposed upon the lelevator vsidemembers" 45, 44 aretwoparaliel` slide bars 48, 48; These are tiedtogether 'attheirmrear-ends by a crossbar iQ-.and as viewedlinFig. 6, are'voiset .laterally from .the respectively associated .maintrack rails. 551

24; Each of said.slide.bars.48 carriesthreeup.- wardly projecting lugs l59,151 Aand 52, and-.when theslide.barsareliitedbythe elevator 43 thex aforementioned# Ilugs A`are caused toexteni|,-above` thetopV-surfaces of therails 24,- and each is there-n 6C" by 1 positioned at the)v rear rvof ar flask on the` main. track,` assuming, of course,..that there are.three. asks `onv the'fmaini itrackfwhich ordinarily :is ther case: And when -thev slide bars f and .their fflugsr have thus been.4 lifted they are rmovablelengthwisez of the'mainftracksto propelthe flasks -.therealong.t The lugs Ell'engage therlask'at positionAlwhich-- is atlthe'bottomfof 'the'stack 30; ythe lugs-5t en.- gagev the immediately I'preceding ask,i vwhich at position B; andy the 'lugs52 engage zizhezsecoridl:v precedingfflaskxwhich is' at vposition C. Obviously,A all .th'eiasks 'couldfbezmovedffby the f single rpai-: of .lugs .155i by? causingitherearmost tflaskr'stoabut. the next lin line, etc.; however, itisIdesirable/.tor have .the fnasksfspacedf apart on the z-traok,.and.to:

accomplish ithat end the-=-additional lugs are pro-l vided. Y

ltfisffurtuer:desirable that, the ings 5u," 5 l. and z'rise erticallyfto-'engageLthe flasks, instead of follwigian arcuate path corresponding to that of--ftl'iezelev-ator'-43f and-'in order to cause themftov soi-move #itis-necessary 41to restrain the sliderbars Wjaga'inst-horizontal movement until they have rstbeen-'el'vatedktorsuch'an extent that the `lugs arci-in position-#to propel the asks. This 'is accomplished bymeans ofA two `vertical guide pins 54'* which'lare slida'blytted-in openings in the crossbara' Tandlanchored at ftheir *lower ends to l a crosshead-. 557 th'ef ends' of which are slidably" with"theffcrosshead ylz'so that the latter ispositively Frestrainedagainst .forward movement. It

will bebliearl'tlfiatirrtheelevator is actuated while the.l cross'he'adi55 iremains anchored,` the slide bars 48 -will"1ris="with-theV elevatorbut cannot move lengthwise because of their attachment to theV crossheadthroughl the guide :pins 54.

Afpi'ston'rod havingafpiston (not shown) operates within thebore of the cylinder 33 wherein it is reciprocable in'response to compressed airor :other fluid lpressure admitted thereto; and this'pistonfrod 'is bored axially at its outer end to re'ceive.`i-av-plunger rod 61,- and is provided with Ya lengthwisefslot 52%(Fig. 14) into which extends thftavelfof: the .pin`63. When Vthe piston rod 591 is -inretracted position- (see Fig. 14) it can beA movedforwardly` to -the'extent permitted by the slot L62 zand-pini" 53 without Vactuating the plunger rodfl'; but `thereafter'theplungerirod and crossheadr55fmove'lforwardly with` the piston rod 5I' and foar-ry with'themlthe crossbar 49 and slide bar 48;' thereby advancingthe flasks along the main.

But beforetheseV several Vparts' can be' trat-:ki: moveditisfnecessarylto retract the latch hooks 51 -to release the crosshead 55 therefrom; and that is Iacconrrplishedfby meansk of. .another `crossbar '55 Whichiisfidriven forwardly". by the piston rodl towardthe crosshead 55 'during'the initial portion of. each.l `forward fstroke .of said piston rod. The twoends of theicrossbar v65 are rounded'as shown, and are-adaptedto^engage^the latch hooks 5l and cam the. .same `outwardly, thereby. unlatching the crosshead 55. to be imoved forwardlyby the plunger rod 61 when thecpin 163iisengaged-"bythe'rear end `of the slot 52aand is thereby;l driven ,byythe piston rod ABl.' Were-'it notiforft-theffact'that thecrosshead 55'is latched duringthe Aascent :of the elevator 43," the slidesb'ars 48.:which'frest ontthe'side members 124:' of .theielevatorrS-z'would bezcarried forward; as

well asxupwardly; byrthe'elevatorr Upfztofth'is :pointit has merelygbeen stated,with

outpexplanation; that theelevatorv dais lifted. and frotatedz about its supporting links l'at the outsettofaeachicycle:of operation of the ask- This enables the saidv crosshead tively, of a U-shaped yoke 68, which is connected to the piston rod 60 and to the crossbar 65. This yoke serves both as a support for the dogs 66 and as a means for holding the 'crossbar 55 perpendicularly to the piston rod 69. The upper ends of the two dogs engage the elevator crossbar and, as they are moved forwardly with the piston rod 60, they push the elevator in a direction which is effective to cause it to rotate upwardly about its supporting links 4B. This occurs while the crosshead remains latched. When the elevator has reached its uppermost position, wherein the links 45 are over center vertically, it is held against further movement by suitable stops, and thereupon the dogs 66 are cammed downwardly by the crossbar- 55, due to the additional pressure resulting from the positive stoppage of the elevator, and are, consequently, disengaged from said crossbar 45 so that they are free to move forward with the piston rod 60. The entire stroke of said piston rod comprises the initial movement necessary to raise the elevator plus the additional movement required to transfer the flasks from one position to the next.

The above-described upward movement of the elevator 43 effects rotation of the cross-shaft 40 by virtue of the links 42 and lever arms 4I, and thus causes rotation of the shafts 35, 35 which carry the flask-lifting fingers 36. Hence, the bottom flask is relieved of the weight of the overlying flasks before the commencement of its movement toward position B.

When oneof the above-described flask-pushing operations has been completed,an unlled flask is, resultantly, in position for filling with sand and, thereafter, to receive the pattern impressions which form the cavities I3; and the flaskpusher mechanism is then ready to be retracted in preparation for the next flask-advancing step. This retraction is accomplished by admitting fluid pressure to the cylinder 33, at the end opposite to that at which it was previously admitted, while at the same time releasing the previously applied oppositely directed pressure.

Upon approaching the end of each forward stroke, the crosshead 55 -encounters two additional latch hooks 10, 10, which, are pivoted to the bar 56 at 'll and provided with springs i2 which bias their free ends towards said crosshead. The free end portion of each said latch hook 79 is notched, as at 13, to receive one of the ears 55a at either end of the crosshead 55, being thus effective to restrain said crosshead against further movement in either direction. It will be apparent that with the crosshead 55 so latched the slide bars 48 cannot be moved lengthwise but are free to move downwardly when permitted to do so by the subsequent descent of the elevator 43.

The first incident in the retraction of the flaskpusher mechanism consists in lowering the elevator 43, which, of course, is accompanied by a lowering of the slide bars 48 with their lugs E30- 52, which latter must descend vertically so as not to retract the flasks on the main track and thus displace the one which is in position for filling. The provision for lowering the elevator comprises two Z-shaped brackets 14, 14, each attached to one of the elevator side members @A and extending horizontally therefrom, as shown most clearly in Fig. 14. To each bracket lil is attached a spring wire latch l5, located in the path of a latch bar 76 which is anchored to the crossbar 65 and movable therewith. As the crossbar 65 moves forwardly its position is immediately behind the crosshead 55, andthe latch bar 16, moving with said crossbar, rides over the top of the latch 15 and depresses the same, until, at length, it passes beyond the free end of said latch and allows the latter to spring up. Now it will be apparent that when the crossbar 65 and latch bar 16 are retracted, the latter will engage the end of the latch 'l5 and push the same in the direction to cause the elevator 43 to be restored to its down position. The slide bars #8 having thus been lowered, are then ready to be retracted lengthwise to their starting position. But it will be remembered that the crosshead 55 is anchored by the latch hooks 10 and cannot be moved unless and until it is first unlatched; and that is accomplished by the crossbar in the following manner. At the completion of each forward stroke the two ends of the crossbar 65 are seated in complementary recesses or depressions 18 formed in the latch hooks '19; these recesses enable the latch hooks to latchingly engage the ends of the crosshead 55. But immediately to the rear of each recess 'i8 is a protuberant cam surface 'I9 which is engaged by the contiguous end of the crossbar 65, as the latter moves rearwardly, thus causing the latch hooks 'I0 to be forced outwardly to a suflicient extent to dsengage the crosshead 55. Before the crossbar 65 has moved rearwardly far enough to allow the latch hooksV 'lil to return to their normal positions, the crosshead 55 is sufficiently displaced toward the rear so that the ears 55a are out of the paths of the notches 73, and thus all parts driven by the piston rod 69 are free to return .to their starting points.

The dogs 66 may conveniently be made of folded sheet metal, as shown in Fig. 14, thus affording, in each instance, between the two sides of the dog a space 66a through which may be passed the end of an upstanding pin 8l] which serves as a stop for limiting the upward movement of the dog. Each said pin is secured to the crossbar 65 andfis suitably bent at its'upper end to cooperate with its associated dog. Near the end of each retractive stroke of the piston rod G9 the two dogs 66 engage the crossbars l5 and are cammed down thereby and thus conditioned to pass to the rear of said crossbar, to the position depicted in Fig. 14.

The mechanism for filling the flasks with molding sand and applying the facing sand In the schematic view, Fig. 16, a flask I6 is shown at the filling station, position B, resting on the main track between the two hoppers 2l and 22. Disposed below said flask and normally at a lower elevation than the tracks (see Figs. 3, 6, 10, 12 and 16) is a rectangular bottom plate 85 which is adapted to be lifted into contact with the bottom of the flask to form lower closures for the mold cavities I2, so that loose sand can be retained therein. The mechanism for lifting the bottom plate 85 into contact with the bottom of the flask comprises a piston reciprocable within a pressure cylinder 86 and connected to a piston rod 81, which in turn is connected to a crosspiece 88 interconnecting the lower ends of the two vertical arms of a pair of identical bellcranks 89, 89,`Which are fulcrumed on a shaft 99 journaled in a pair of bearing blocks 9 I, 9|, supported on a platform 92, which latter also serves as a mounting for various other parts of the machine. As best depicted in Figs. 3, 10 and 12, the bottom plate 85 is flxedly mounted on a Vertical tubular post 93, which is slidably telescoped within the aangegane i9 bore of a cylindrical-.tuba 94..'-hereishown .asesuspended from thefplatform92. The-.tube 94, serves only as a guide forthepostfSS; and'fthus;as;.a meansv for maintaining. .ther bottom; plate: 85. rin

horizontal alignment, vso .that .it .willgabear--. evenly f against thebottomof the-.flask whileitheglatter continues .to be supportedfqon. zthefmainxztrack. As will be evident; when .fluid lpressure is applied to the lefthand endoithelcylinder 8.6,:as viewed in Figs. 3, ldand l2, .the .bellcranks89-will be,

. rotated by .the piston rodx 81. inthe :direction to ing sand or equivalentvpowder lso that they V'will not adhere tothe molding sand. "This is1-accomc plished by means cfa siiter-95--comprisi-ng a rec tangular receptacle havingascreenlwireibottom, as clearly shown in Fig. 16. Thesiften 5Fl-normally is located/:Withinvlthe bottom-f'portion of the hopper` 2| whichi holds-the facing-sand,^-an is situated underneath-a val-ve plateflslilseellig. 6) forming a vfalse. bottom -forV said-hopper. Vlrihe sifter is connected v-t'o oneVY end yof f a *pusher*A rod s1 whose other end is attached,. through a fitting 98, to the outer'end of apiston'rod '|00 which,

turn, extends into the bore of a pressure cylinder IDI and is equipped'thereinwith.' a'gpiston'. (not shown). Admission of luid pressure to .one end of the cylinder 10| will,.obviou`sly,.causethe sifter 95 to beV ejected* from the hopper. 2|; con-f versely, admissionv ofiluid` pressure' to the other end of the cylinder IIlI willcauseithe. sifterl to be retracted. Y

The valve plate'f extends.`through..a..slot'. in the hopper wall and ziswithdraw'able there-.J through to permitiacharge of facing sand. tofall into the sifter, and tomthatierldlit-fisattachedtto a connecting rod |02 which; in turniiisconnected piston (not shown) reciproc'ablaina l.pressure cylinder I 0d. The vpiston inthis-jc'zlindeny is. actuable by fluid pressurein.bothldirections,.anmaccordingly is operative.' to move fthe valve,'plate95 in both directions.

To make an .application offrfacingfsand, .the cylinder |04 is energizedgto .retract thevalvefplate 96, thereby. charging the.sitter;.and-,immediately thereafter said valve plate is returnedto its shuton positionby .energizinglthecylinder'A 4|54 in the opposite manner. Thereupon,..the.cylinder fIIlIf is energized to eject the. si'fter' from the.hopperto a position overlying ltheiask. Then;.if needJoe, an electrical vibratorisenergized, ,inorder to shake the siften-or. theevvhole-rmachne;.whereby to agitate the facing sand-tandethus` causer ite-,tof sift through the Vscreen .onto -thefbottom plateiy 85 and the half-patterns.'v thereon. When-thedask has thereafter been- -filledtwithv :molding= sand,- it usually is necessary -to.-apply..a:coatingz-of facing sand to the top surface of -the mcldingssand-and' that is accomplishediinzthe :mannen-previously described.

Following the first applicatiomofofacingrsand, the flask -is flledwithgmoldingersand;romlthe hopperY 2 2 and'. that.--is1f.-accomplished bvizmeans "im fssimlantothatemployedrfor; applyingthe facing tsand. itAifsand conveyorgii :in-',.the formpfa rnectangular, i;bottomless, open-.top zreceptacle, shavingV partitions vrI El? dividing itr into three sandtzr-.eceiving .chambers 168,- is 4.normally disposed lwithintthezlower portion-.of the h0pper-22 underineathffawvalve :plate: Il@ .which functions.; as 1 a zifalsecbcttomi forithe; hopper. This valve. plate .sIj-textends-:throughgaf slot in one Ywall of the 1c t hoppeizand :is retractable:therethrough by means tof-a pressureicylnder. il I Iy having a piston rod I I2 @the-.outer endgofpwhich connected to said valve teplatetsthroughitheafmedium of. a connecting rod EIB. ;.It=;wil1;be.: apparent that the Valveplate I I0 l" lsswithdrawable-ifrcmr .the hopper .and returnable oztsrnormal; position'zrthrough energization-.of iithezvlinder I Ill :rand itiwillrfurther'be apparent rfithatywhen.A saidfvalvelplate is. retracted `the .chamibersf/.I 08 offithe conveyor areiilled with 'molding s fsandflfrom' the:;hopp.er.

r'ihesand conveyor izisattachedto :the end of :.fnneqleggof @ai U.shaped.;member I I 5 yconnected :.through; ai return-bend. .to` a; piston .in a; pressure cylinderr IfI6;;1shown;flnnllig.l 2. vThe cylinder IIB s singleeactinggwhichis.to say that itis effective ionlydo'retracti'theiasand conveyor |05. back into theihopperfl .Outward-movementof the sand onveyonftoideliver `thefsand to the waitingfiiask .1. ...effectedzbyrazdcuble-actng; pressure: cylinder .30: i I] ,aas presentlywill be made clear.

Situated A.immediately vbelow and forming .a zbottcmfclosure for. the-.sand conveyor Iisia, side plate H8. This covers the-:bottom .of the hopper f';22iandfextendsgoutwardly therefrom (see- Fig. 6)

.throught a .-.slotinathe'housing wall, `and' fis, connected through agtt-ingfy I I9 to the distal end of agipiston -r0d1I2.'(Eig.. 2) having a; piston (not :'shown) .disposed :ini'lthe1 pressure cylinder II1. tThisJpressure .cylinder :is located directly under cylinder II I. It isxnotshown in the. plan view f..(Eig.;2) and.shouldxnotwbe confused with the ccylindersi I|l*..and: H6. lAlso connected to the f'idistal end-'ofthe connecting rodr |20 is a vertically iszextendingmrmll..see1.Fig.--6) adaptedfto bear .aagainstithefbridge'eportion- I I5a. of .the U-shaped ranember. I| 5 one legi '.ofrwhich constitutes the. piszton rod operatingfinrthecylinder I'I 6.

i-:Itishould be apparent now :that whennthe-piston in the cylinder II'I is actuated sosastoxmove its piston rod |20 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 6, the slide-plate-IIS will -be ymoved in the same ..direction,r sothat yit 'cverlies theilaskII) at posi- :..tionB. \And itv will further beeVidentthat the .55 pressure. exert'e'dlbyithearm |2I against the. U-

shaped member Il 5will effect a simultaneous'out- .-wardmovement ofthesand .conveyor |06, so that the i-.latter.. is positioned directlyv .over .said flask, asi most.V clearly...dep.icted ,in-'Fig. 17. The lsand conveyor...retainsfitsqload .of sand momentarily ...because :ot the,underlying slide plate IIS; rbut as soonfas the: sand. conveyor. is in rposition properly ...to discharge..its.load,the cylinderl I I'I is.. ener- A:gizedin .the .opposite direction, thereby causing sthe-slidef plate toberetracted to the-position in .fvwhichitx-is shcwnfin'igfd Thus, theload of asandinlthe convevonisdumped into the aforementioned iiask, whereupon .said conveyor is rei tracted intotheihopperby the cylindery IIS. -Directlyabove the'i-lask .I04 at position Bthere I sisi situated a'rectangular-metal plate |25- having a large rectangular. opening -in .registration-.with Athe-:interior .-vofi.: the diaskand.. through which the `molding-.sand tpassessupon Idescending .from-i the asandlconveyor finto the iiask. `'lhis1-1p1ate `I25-is comparable in appearance to a flat picture frame comprising four interconnected rectilinear sides. One of the sides, identified by reference numeral |25a, is a rectangular bar of much greater thickness than the other three sides and is disposed in contraposition to the sand conveyor |06, being thus operative as an abutment for limiting the travel of the sand conveyor; The two sides of the plate |25 which extend parallel to the direction of travel of the sand conveyor are provided with upstanding flanges |251) (not shown in the schematic views, Figs. 15-20) spaced apart sufficiently to receive the sand conveyor between them (see Figs. 3, 10 and 12). The function of the plate |25 is that of a spacer, and its purpose is to provide for deposition and retention of enough molding sand in the flask so that when the loose sand is compressed it will tightly fill the flask flush with the top and bottom edges thereof. It will be observed that the sand conveyor rides on the upper surface of the spacer plate |25 which is positioned above the top of the flask a distance that is equal to the thickness of the plate. When the sand conveyor is retracted, after dumping its load, it scrapes all the surplus sand back into the hopper; that is to say, it retracts all the molding sand above the top surface of the spacer plate |25. But that leaves a quantity of sand within the large rectangular opening of said plate standing above the top level of the flask, and it is that quantity, plus the amount displaced by the top half-patterns in forming the semi-cavities |3a, which supplements the bulk of loose sand within the flask to such an extent that the compacted sand fills the flask tightly enough so that it will stay in place without subjacent support.

The spacer plate |25 is supported on a strap iron yoke |26 (Fig. 6) which includes a bridge member |21 interconnecting two depending legs |28, |28, the lower extremities of which are connected respectively to horizontal arms |29, |29, which, in turn, are connected to or integral with two upwardly extending outer arms |35, |33 the upper ends of which are attached to the said spacer plate. The aforementioned bridge member |21 extends across and is secured to a flange |3| forming the upper terminus of a vertical piston rod |32 which extends downwardly into the bore of a pressure cylinder |33 where it is connected to a piston (not shown).

The cavity-forming operation When the flask at position B has been filled with molding sand and a coating of facing sand has been sprinkled on the top surface of the molding sand, in the manner previously described, the sand filling is ready to receive the pattern impressions which constitute the mold cavities. As previously stated, the half-pattern or patterns which form the semi-cavities |31) (Fig. in the under side of the sand fiillings are secured to the top surface of the bottom plate 85; and since these project up into the flask at the outset, the under side impressions are, perforce, formed loosely when the molding sand is dumped into the flask. Thevcomplementary half-pattern or patterns, as the'case may be, are secured to the under surface of a platen |35 in the form of a rectangular metal plate, suspended from and firmly secured to a pair of supporting bars |36, |36 which may be secured at their ends to the two hoppers 2| and 22, respectively.

For the purpose of pressing the upper halfpatterns into the sand filling, fluid pressure is admitted to the cylinder |33, thereby causing the I6 'and the spacer plate |25.

piston rod |32 to rise and engage the bottom surface of the bottom plate and then move said bottom plate upwardly, together with the flask and its sand filling. The upward movement of the piston rod |32 is sufficient to elevate the upper surface of the flask to the level of the under surface of the platen |35, thus causing the sand filling to be pressed down flush with the top of the flask, while `at the same time being kept flush with the bottom of the flask by the bottom plate 85. Enough pressure is thus brought to bear against the sand filling to compact it firmly throughout the flask and into intimate contact with all exposed surfaces of the patterns.

As the piston |32 ascends, it carries with it the yoke |26, thereby elevating the spacer plate |25 whose rectangular opening is large enough to admit the platen |35. Upon completion of the pressing operation, fluid pressure in the cylinder |33 is released whereupon the piston |32 descends, and with it the bottom plate 85, the flask Pressure in the cylinder 86 is` then reversed to actuate the bellcranks 89 in the direction to lower the bottom plate 85 to a level below the bottom of theflask, thus freeing the flask so that it can be moved along themain track without disturbing the sand filling therein.

As depicted in Fig. 19, the filled flask is moved along the main track to position C thereon in response to the succeeding operation of the flaskpusher mechanism which, as before, places a fresh ask at position B in readiness for filling.

Stacking the filled flasks Assuming the presence of a filled flask on the main track at position C, as per Fig. 19, thenext succeeding operation of the flask-pusher mechanism will result in transference of said flask onto the auxiliary track comprising the auxiliary rails 26, 26. These latter are identical U-shaped bars, as shown most clearly in the schematic views, Figs. 1520, having downwardly sloping parallel arms which are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the brackets |24 secured to the frame structure. Normally, the horizontal portions of the two auxiliary rails are so spaced as to underlie the flask and provide supports therefor, as exemplified in Fig. 20. U The previously-mentioned elevator platform 28 1s disposed centrally of and below the two auxiliary rails 26, 26; and when in its lowermost position, as shown in Fig. 3, it is at a sufficiently low level, relatively to the auxiliary rails, so that a stack |31 (see Fig. 1) comprising several filled flasks resting on this platform may be contained in the intervening space. The platform 28 is secured to the upper end of a plunger or piston rod |38 which extends downwardly into the bore of a pressure cylinder |39. This platform can, therefore, be elevated by admitting fluid pressure to said cylinder and, conversely, lowered by releasing the pressure therefrom. e

As soon as a filled flask has been transferred to the auxiliary track, the elevator platform 28 is moved upwardly, together with whatever flask may already be positioned thereon; the platform, or the uppermost flask thereon, then engages the sloping arms of the two auxiliary rails 26,26 and spreads said rails apart so that the flask resting thereon drops down, either onto the vplatform or onto the top one of the stack of fiaskspreviously Ydeposited thereon.

' In most cases it is desirable to include a rectangular board or metal plate |23 at the bottom the initiationroff eachstack. i Suchalmeans'comcleats |52 on the platformiZB.

- views, Figs. 15420 4i inclusive. 15-1'1 said board is'shownpositionedatloneside `of `the carriage I`43,..i-n readiness tobelmoved onto 1, the `carriage ata po'sitioniimniediately' 'ahead of 1 the elevator pla'tform A28.

*the top to receive `theboards and-provided'with ,ease

sand rfillings 'lthereiniadtdthat end meansl'are provided-asal-partlofthe machinefon placing l the form of an elongate restangularmetal frame comprising two Lparallel, Iil1'at-,erally spaced Iside tie-bar II 35 -whichl is ljconneotedf'centrally Y toi .a 1 piston -rod vI 55 -having ...a ffpiston l noti shown) A reciprocable inf alpressure-cyli-nder |41 ,itl-'leseld v4carriage |43 vbeing reciprocableflengthwiseslby said cylinder; pistonandipistorfrod.

The Y carriage A 'I 43 -Iis lloca'ted atlvaniel'evation :just above thetopf .the platform aiwhen: the

the' same level .as the topsl ofthe 'sidelbars AI 53,1 or slightly lower. The two side bars |46 arelspaced l to :pass between thecleats |42.

.'Abar |53 'extendingftransverselyf cfs-the .side

.bars and overlyingthesameiiswelded or other- -wise secured' thereto andi functions-.asian abutw 'ment to ensure thatwherr aboard I23'1has:been placed on the carriage |43.lit willlmovelpositively with said carriage-.tov itsdestinationfaatopCthe Aboard I 23 is shownlin:V cachot; 'the schematic In Seachof Figs.

- riage. In Eig; v13it isishown stilllirilthe carriage,

but shifted-bvY the carriage-itc` apo'siti'on overlying A dog I5I securedffto aridprojecting-lupwardly from the `front of the two isidlbars IMfservesto "engage the adjacentbottomdgeof thefstaekl|31 4`'when the carriage I|13eis-moved?forwardly, 'and-is @thus effective -to- 'push etiche-"completed=stack-|`31 "oi lthe elevator platform`28onto any-suitable table, truck, or conveyor. In-orderetofenable ithe carriage |43 to be withdrawn;ithotretraoting cpposedinwardly projecting shelves 156 on which the stack ofboards Arests. *Ahorizon'tal 1`s1'ot|51 is l provided in 1the wall' of ithehopperIi 5' 'adjacent the carriage M3, and*iiswiderenough:vertically `and long enough horizontally-"topasswnlooard `only. A springepressd- :'dog* 158' :is :attached to the distal end cfa pistonrod159havinga piston ...machine frame; and. the? carriage; 'I 1133s, 'slidably yinherited. on: thetop's surface. of: said-platform.

l' *"The oertically'adiu'stable'samt hopper y) `:fIt:'isppreierable1soto constructv thepresent .cmoldingmachine that it can be made to accomfmodate liiasks of idifferent depths; conformably to the dimensions of the Lcastingssto :bei-made. vBy; sol doingpthe quantity .ofsmoldingsandre- 15 quired vrwilli be limitedvtowanapproximatewmin- :in'ium'fv with awcorresponding 4increase the inum- Lberiof. .flasks inf; each-f stackfwhen :the height .f of ithescastingsfp'ermits" of the :use ofy shallow fflasks. .fAnd :itjrmayf further be '-desirable-.:to;tprovide for ethee use=ofi sandrconvey'ors yI HB2-of various depths, each-selected? one being; proportionedto-hold.L a iquantity offmolding sand equal to? what is needed :ato: fill the `fla-slr:.in-:'feach 'fspecicvcaseneither :'less norfsubstantially more. Consequently, I .'preferfto'construct the molding-.i sand-hopper 22 :in .v the fmanner :illustrated: 'inn-Fig. '7 lTherein lfthe bottom? platef 23:.is adjustably -movab1ee ver- .ticallyf betweenftwo-vertical: side plates I8, I8 independently? of; the.l mairrvpart. ofwthe-fhopper, A and-l lthe latter.; also: is :bodily .movablei` vvertically f i'elativelyxtothe bottom :plate 23. The main part of Vlthe hopper; is .drilled and .tapped .toV -receive r-`lcapscrews :I Bwwhichy extend through vertical. slots f I 6. andtservefto secure vthe kvlioppenatany eleva- :tion to'which rit :may be adjustedy-:withinrithe `rlirn'its determined. by thel'islots'- I 6. r The` height of the opening 25, which isv designedto receive the sand conveyor |06 andthe'valveplate IIIJ, asshown inFig.'=6, may thus be Varied.y to' suit :sand conveyorsA of various depths; `and the eleva- 'tion ofuithe bottom plate 23 maywat the same timebeVv regulated so that the slide'plate -||8` is at a level immediately,` above -the` spacer plate rvI25andf thus? capable of clearing 'the same.

`..The `fa'cing'sand hopper v2| should, obviously, .bei'mountedi inv-a' similar manner so that the sifter 95 will be at a proper level.

vThe controls and .sequence f operations '23, the-dog |5| Lisyielablyc:Slfne'fffl"mld50 -The present machine' is controlled-manually hinged Sothat it-#willassumeLa^h020nta1ip0s by means-of three rotaryvalves'l63, |66 and ture'when lbroughti to '-bearagainstftheL-edgeof mgfmounted in any -c0m;enien1,Vv position as 'the board |23 at' the1outsetmf'feach"'retractive -showny for example in F1g 11 They/valve |53 movement'of said carriage. Thisisamplyllusis/provided with an operating handle |64/ and vtrated'in Fig. 19'wherein-the'carriageIfAI-Mnaybe55 an indicator |55; thevalve |55-With anoperassumed tohave justlstarted-'faretractiVemOVG- ating l handle `|61 and anindicator |68; and the ment, and Whel'en' thedog; 451| 1S HPOTZJHPM valve AI'Iilrwith` an operating handle l|10 and an 'Posture asa result Of @89011631313 Wlflhftlleadla' Vindicator I1I. In the schematic diagram (Fig. cent board |23- fMamfES'61Y,f`the" @m1336443 `9) there are shown'the'various` tubing connec- --must be retracted before thfev'abm iS`1aS-ed; 560 tions between the three' valves |63, |66` and and it iS not Operated-again?. tI"-"T9tI9iCt1'OIL |69 and their `respectiveiyassociated"pressure 'until anew 'stack |31 is to Lbestarted l cynnders,

A supply'of boards"I23"isistacledein' a suitable The valve |63 includes arotor I12= disposed hopper (S66 FlgS. 2"and8)""Wh1Clf` 1S DDGH' at ,65 inthe bore of a valve body |13 having seventeen 'radial ports |14 communicating withthe rotor, and connected exteriorly to .the individual tubes extending to the various 'cylinders with which the'valve |63 is associated. Thesec'omprise the cylinders 33, I0|,` |04, III, IIB, ||.1, |33 and |39. The rotor |12 has a radial passageway |15 which registers sequentially with ports I1|I and is con- :nected via' the axial boreof the rotorwith `an inta-ke. pipe |'I1y throughwwhichcompressed air v4is supplied. A"secondra'di'al passagewayV |16jin 'the rotor |12" is 'likewise adapted* to* register seyand a rotor |8|.

15 quentially with the ports |14 and connects with the ambient atmosphere. 'I'he passageway |16 is angularly displaced from the passageway |15 so that it comes into registration with each successive port |14 immediately after the passageway |16 has passed therebeyond. Hence, it will be clear that the passageway |16 serves to relieve the pressure from the several associated cylinders following each energization thereof. The same arrangement obtains in the valve |66,

except in that instance there are only four valve body ports |18. The valve |66 serves the two cylinders |41 and |60.

rIhe valve |69 is a four-way valve serving only the cylinder 86. It comprises a valve body |80 The valve body has an intake port |82, two discharge ports |83, |84 connected respectively to the two ends of the cylinder 86, and an exhaust port |85. The intake port |82 is connected, as shown, to a branch |11a of the compressed air supply pipe |11, this branch extending also to the valve |66. The rotor |8| has a passageway |86 which is operative in one position of the rotor to connect the intake port |82 with the discharge port |83 and, alternately, to connect the intake port |82 with the discharge port |84, being thus eifective to direct compressed air to either end of the cylinder 86, selectively. A second rotor passageway |81 is operative, in one position, to connect the exhaust port |85 with the discharge port |83 and, alternately, to connect said exhaust port with the discharge port |84. It will be apparent that when the rotor |S| is positioned to admit compressed air to one end of the cylinder 86, it is at the same time positioned torelieve the airv pressure in the other end of said cylinder.

The rotor |12 of the valve |63 is shown in position toV admit air to the rear end of the cylinder 93 which is the first step in the cycle of operation of the machine.v This results in advancement of the flask-pusher mechanism, thus transferring an empty iiask from the bottom of the stack atposition A'tothe lling station at position B, while at the same time advancing two lled flasks one of which moves onto the-auxiliary rails 26,

Rotation of the rotor |12 in the direction indicated, to the next succeeding position, admits compressed air to the other end of the cylinder 33, thus retracting the flask-pusher mechanism. But meanwhile the passageway |16 has moved into registration with and passed'beyond the rst port |14, and has thereby relieved the Vpressure in the rear end of the cylinder 33.

Immediately following the retractive energization of the cylinder 33, and before moving the rotor |12 to the third position, the four-way valve |69 is operated manually to rotate the bellcranks 89 in the direction to lift the-bottom plate 85 into contact with the bottom of the flask thereabove, and said four-way valve is left in that position until after the cylinder |33 has lsubsequently been energized. In theY third position of the valve rotor |12, air isadmittedrto one end ofthe cylinder |64, thereby withdrawing the valve plate' and thus allowing a charge of facing sand to gravitateinto thesifter 95. In the fourth position, air is admitted to the other end cf the cylinder |84,'thereby restoring the valve plate 96 to its normal position, as depicted in Fig. 6. In the fifth and sixth positions, air is admitted successively to alternate ends of the cylinder |I, thereby causing the sifter .95 to m'oveout-.overfthe flask and'thento be rel- 16 tracted. While the sifter is positioned over the flask, it (or the whole machine) is vibrated, either by means of an electrical or mechanical vibrator or manually, so that a small amount of facing sand is sprinkled onto the bottom plate and the half-patterns thereon.

In the seventh and eighth positions of the rotor |12, air is admitted successively to the two ends of the cylinder thereby effecting withdrawal and retraction of the valve plate ||0 which results in lling the sand conveyor |06. When the valve rotor |12 is moved to the ninth position, air is admitted to one end of the cylinder ||1, thereby causing the slide plate ||8 to move out over the flask at position B, and with it the sand conveyor |06. In the tenth position of the rotor |12, air is admitted to the other end of the cylinder ||1, thereby retracting the slide plate H8, but not the sand conveyor |06. Thus, the molding sand is discharged into the ask. In the eleventh position, air is admitted to the cylinder H6, thereby retracting the sand conveyor.

The twelfth to fifteenth positions, inclusive, of the rotor |12 are, in effect, repetitions of the third to the sixth positions, respectively, and have like eiects in that they bring about operation of the sifter 05 and valve plate 96, thereby depositing a small quantity of facing sand atop the molding sand in the flask.

In the sixteenth position of the rotor |12, air is admitted to the cylinder |33, causing the bottom plate 85 to rise and move the filled flask upwardly against the platen |35, thus compacting the sand in the fiask. Thereupon, the fourway valve |69 is again operated to rotate the bellcranks 89 in the direction which allows the bottom plate 85 to descend to its normal down position which it will do when pressure in the cylinder |33 is subsequently relieved. In the seventeenth position of the rotor |12, air is admitted to the cylinder |39, thereby elevating the platform 28 to remove a lled flask from the auxiliary tracks. The nal step in the cycle of operation of the valve |63 results in releasing the pressure in the cylinder |39 and again energizing the cylinder 33, which latter is the first step in the succeeding cycle.

The valve |66 is manipulated only when there is occasion to position a board |23 on the elevator platform 28. Each such occasion is, of course, an incidental preliminary to the inception of a successive stack of filled flasks. This valve |66 includes a `body casting |89 provided with four radial ports |18 and a rotor |90 having a radial intake passageway |9| communicating with the bore thereof and adapted to register, consecutively, with ports |18 whereby to admit compressed air to each of these ports in succession. In addition, therotor |98 has an exhaust passageway |92 arranged to register consecutively withfthe ports |18 for the purpose of releasing pressure from the several cylinder chambers in the proper order. One revolution of the operating handle |61 brings about a complete cycle of operation of the ltwo cylinders |81 and |60, and thereby effects transfer of a board |23 from the bottom of the stack in the hopper |55 to the top of the elevator platform 28.

While I have described what I presently regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be evident that there are many possible alternatives and modifications within the.v scope and purview of my broad inventive concept and,- accordingly, the invention should engagea 1'f.'7f not be regarded as limitedotherrvismthanasqirxdicated by the terms of the appended claimsz.

I claim:

1. A molding machine comprising aihorizontal track, a lling,stationadjacent.saidftrack;.mech4 anism operative to advance; iiasksv along. said track intermittently in: measured'. steps,. each of which steps. is of. proper lengthitoiposition-.aniun filled ask at said. fillingstation;v means.; atzsaid: filling station .fordepositing; molding sandinsthea flask momentarily situated thereat, and-,means at.K said filling station including anupper"stationaryy platen and a verticallyv movable-bottom platef'or. compactingthe sand in said? flask andL for im.- pressing semi-cavities intothe top` and bottom: surfaces of the sandfilling and' thereby'forming-v cope and drag sectionsof a mold-i`n1 the# samefv flask. Y

2. The combination-ina moldingfmachineoffa track comprising a pair oflaterallyispacedfrail's, a filling station adjacent said track; mechanismoperative to advancealong said track; inx steps -of predetermined length, a1 series'of flasks; eachA owhich is openat bothtop andibottom, each-cycle= of operation'of-said'mechanism being effectiveetoposition an empty'askat saidlling station; a bottom platev normally located below saidh track at said llingstation', afirst meansoperativel to lift said bottomplateV into f Contact with` thebotv tom of a flask'v at said filling station; al second'l means operative to further-liftsaidfbcttom-plateA and thereby elevate-said ask at saidy 'filling' sta` tion, said bet-tomplatef serving' as abottomv closure for the Yflask at saidllingstation; means at said filling station for depositingL a massof molding sand in the'flaski thereat, a-V firsthalf'-l pattern securedV to the top ofi said bottom'- plate and projecting upwardly therefrom', a statibnaryy platen located above-'said'track at saidfflllingsta'-4 tion and overlyingtheflaskonthe'track thereat,

` elevator supporting` said slide bars and movable a second half-patterncarriedby'andvprojectingfy downwardly from saidplaten, saidh'rst land sec-- ond 'halfepatterns being complementary; said' second means being effective to squee2c-saidmassl of molding sand-tocompa'ct thesamewithin itsflask and to impress saidl firstandi second` half patterns into said-mass;

3. The combinationJ in a4 molding; machine of' a main track comprisingV aA pair of laterallyVv spaced parallel rails adapted to support a series ofl flasks, mechanism operativeD to-l propel flasks along said trackY intermittently, instepsf'of; pre-V determined length, so thateaclr-fla'sk, inturn, is.' brought to rest at a-givenlling-fstation; afbottom: plate normally positioned'- below-fand intermedi--r ately of said rails at'said-fillingstation, saidfbot'- tom plate being movable upwairdl'yfromits-riore mal position to contactthebott'omoff aflask-restl ing `on said rails at said filling:stationlandltliusltoi form a temporary bottonr closure-for said'. flask; huid-pressure means operative to elevate`r said? bottom plateinto contact with the bet-tom ofsaidA flask, a second iiuid-pressure--meansf operativ'eto further elevate said bottom` pl'at'e together.'withv the overlying' flask, astationary platen-ilocated above the topV levelv ofsaid-flask* andldisposed' inivis-a-vis relation to saldi bottom" plate,` saidf platen and bottom plate beingf effective, con-- jointly, to compress sandin -saidasl-wherr said. bottom plate is elevated by said-secondi; uidi pressure means, andmeans for depositingisandi in said iiask at'said--llingstation.

4. The combinationin amolding Imachine-.of-l'af. track comprising a` pairofA laterally f spaced"y rai1s,. a filling station adjacentlsaid'l track;. andiflask@V through an arcuate path to elevate said slide bars to. bringgsaid lug or lugsinto position to drivingly engagea ask or-flasks onsaid track andfurther operativeftodepress said. slide b-ars upon completion ofa. singleY forwardv movement of they flasks. along said, track, sothat/'said lug or lugs willclear the flasks, guiding means slidably connected with the slide` bars for causing the. same to:4 move-vertically during the arcuate travel of the. elevator,l and meansoperative to move said slide bars forwardlyY lengthwise after the same have beenfelevatedfsuificiently to enable said lug. orlugs: to drivingly engage a vflask or flasks, said last-mentioned means being further operative to retract said slide barsl when the same have been lowered following completion ofV each forward step, of saidf mechanism.

5: The combination in a molding machineof'a track comprising apair of laterally spacedrails, a. filling; station along said track, and askpusher mechanism,v operative to propel a seriesv of flasksalong saidtrack in'repetitive stepsof predeterminedlengt-h suchv that the flasks on said track are brought successively and individually into filling position aty said` filling station, said mechanismcomprising a pair of elongate slide bars; extending parallel to: said rails and each located adjacent one of said rails' individually, saidislide bars being positioned at a lower` level than their'respectivelyassociatedrails and each providedwith a plurality: of upwardly projecting lugs, 1 said lugs being sol spaced apart lengthwise ofitheirfslidefbarsjthat' each isv adapted to drivinglyengage-the:rear-edgefof a flask, andan elevaton supporting.; said" slide bars and. movabley throughzan.. arcuate pathto elevate said slidel bars vertically simultaneously,.together with said-lugs,

azguideslidablyfconnectedwith the slide ba-rs fory causing: the samef to move vertically duringv the saidf; flasks along; said track, saidv means being-A furtheroperative, toA depress said" slide f bars at the;endfof'eachforwardstep'and then to retract saidislidesbarsf. to their starting position.

6. The; combination accordingto claim'- 5- in-Y cludingzanelevatorcomprising apair of elongate sidefmembers -individualf to and loca-ted beneath their: respectively,'associatedslide barsand form'- in'gsupportsalonggwhichsaid slide bars areslid- .f able; lengthwise of: said track, pivoted links supporting said" side members. and maintaining the same parallel toi-their associated rails whileenabling;v them? to ascend and descend. alongv an arcuate;v path,v therebyL elevating and lowering said, slide-bars, and-fluid-pressure operated. re-V ciprocatory meansI operative uponmovement in onedirection toslift said elevator-together with said: slide bars. and". thereafter to tmovev said vslide bars: lengthwisef andforwardly ofV said. track,

saidlfmeansebeing further operative upon mover-- 

